Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Reflections - Part 3

I am sorry that it took so long, but I (and my dilligent BR) had a bad case of RL. I promise the next part will be, quicker. For those you haven't seen this yet, I figured out how to do a TOC thing, so I posted on in the TOC section.

Reflections - Part 3

Soaring fast, well above the city, the rain felt like a baptism on his face. Flying always had a freeing effect on him, no matter what his mood. Somehow, when he donned his suit and took to the air, the weight of life seemed to lift from him. Knowing that he could make a difference in his superhero guise gave him a sense of purpose, something to raise him up from the loneliness of his life. Sometimes, he thought that he only felt really alive when he was being the superhero he had created, playing the part of someone else... someone without all the baggage that one seems to accumulate during their life.

Now, however, he needed to concentrate on finding that accident. The dawn had just begun to break on the horizon, with the sun peeking through a small, distant hole in the clouds. His hearing zeroed in on the sound of a distraught man, pleading for help in Spanish. Finding the accident from the air, he sped to the scene, landing a scant two seconds later.

Surveying the accident, nothing seemed to warrant the distress of the man crying out before him. Calmly, Clark walked over to the man's car, and examined the wreckage, looking for signs of hurt passengers or leaking gasoline. Apparently it was only a fender bender, but the front left tire of the man's car was jammed into its wheel well, making the car unmovable.

The man ran up to Clark, grabbed him by the arm, and pleaded to him in Spanish. "Please, Señor, my wife is having our baby. I think she is ready to deliver. The police, the firemen, they haven't come. Please help us."

Looking into the back seat of the car, Clark saw a pregnant woman lying down, obviously in the late stages of labor. She cried out as another wave of contractions racked her body. He needed to get her to a hospital right away. Opening the back door, he turned, and explained in Spanish to the man that he was going to fly her to the hospital and then come back for him. It was obvious from the man's expression that he wasn't sure that he believed that it was possible for the superhero to do that. For that brief moment, Clark realized that he really did need more interaction with people when in the suit. At least enough so that the public would know and trust all of his abilities.

Focusing back on the situation at hand, he began to explain to the woman what he was about to do, but he stopped short when he saw her condition. Clark had witnessed the birth process a couple of times, and had received enough first aid training to know that this woman was ready to give birth any minute. It was much too dangerous to both her and the baby now to try to move her. He would have to assist her in giving birth right here and now.

He turned to the man and explained what was happening. After assuring the man that he knew how to assist his wife, and his soon to be born child, he instructed him to find a couple of reasonably clean towels and some water. Fortunately, the couple had been out at the Laundromat, so the man was able to produce the towels. He also had a nearly full bottle of drinking water to use. Clark took them, and for good measure, sterilized them with his heat vision. He then took one towel and ripped a couple of long strips for tying off the umbilical cord.

As gently as he could, he placed one of the towels underneath her and removed her lower undergarment. Clark then got the husband to sit next to his wife and explained to him how to help her focus on her breathing during her labor pains. Between the contractions, Clark told the wife exactly what he was going to do, and instructed her to bear down and push when he told her to do so. The time for the birth was coming close, and he could already see the head of the baby appearing. After another hour of labor a healthy looking baby boy was completely born.

Without any prodding from Clark, the baby began a vigorous scream, announcing his arrival into the world. Clark took a moment to look at the small miracle in his hands, and then worked quickly to tie off the umbilical cord in two places with the strips of towel. He then separated the baby from his mother by cutting the umbilical with a precise, narrow beam of heat vision. Using some more of the water, he washed the crying baby as well as he could, and wrapped him in one of the clean towels. After counting his fingers and toes, Clark handed the baby to the new father. With the remaining water, he cleaned the mother as much as modesty allowed.

Clark looked at the couple as they bathed in the afterglow of the birth of their new son, the love between them reflected in their eyes, and in the face of their child. As the husband handed his wife their son, Clark left the car to afford them some privacy. By now the ambulance was parked by the car, waiting to take the parents and child to the hospital. The paramedics walked past, staring at him with a small amount of awe on their faces, and almost bumping into the car. Satisfied that the family was in good hands, he got ready to take to the sky once again.

Just as he was about to leave, a shout from behind him got his attention. It was the new father running toward him, asking him to wait. Clark was now worried that something might be wrong. The man caught up with him, a little out of breath, and started to thank him for what he had done.

"It was nothing," Clark said modestly.

"Señor, it was everything. My child may have been hurt, or even worse, if not for you. My wife and I wish to honor you, and name him after you. Please tell me what I may name my son."

Clark was flabbergasted. He'd never expected anything like that. Of course he couldn't give him his real name. Even if the man never told a soul, it was still too dangerous. But he didn't want to insult the father either. After thinking for a moment, he came up with a reasonable compromise.

"Señor, I have no name to give you, but I have met many wonderful people in my time here. There is a wise man I admire greatly who taught me much. It would honor me for you to consider the name Jon. But you may never tell anyone why your son has that name."

"I understand, Señor. Then my son's name shall be Juan, in honor of your mentor. Vaya con Dios, mi amigo." He extended his hand out to Clark.

Clark clasped the man's hand and shook it. "The same to you and your family."

With a final nod, the man turned to return to his family, and Clark slowly rose into the air. The rain had finally subsided, and the clouds began to move away from the city.

*********

Within seconds of the superhero leaving the scene, a white jeep screeched to a halt in front of the ambulance. A woman shrouded in a yellow rain parka jumped out of the SUV and ran to the car, where moments ago the baby had been born. She got there just in time to see the paramedics placing the mother and her baby on the stretcher, preparing her for transport to the hospital. The woman in the rain parka caught up with the father and could be seen asking him something. The father seemed to answer her question, finishing whatever he was telling her by pointing into the sky. The woman looked up slowly into the clouds, and then shook her head. Shoulders slumped and audibly sighing, she walked back to her jeep. As she climbed back into the driver's seat, she paused for a moment to look back up where the man had pointed. Those who saw her witnessed the determined look on her face. She then looked away, and slammed the door of her vehicle shut.

The father watched the woman leave as he stood by the ambulance, waiting for the paramedics to place his wife and child inside. A knowing smile crept on his face, as he muttered, " La buena suerte, Señorita. "

*********

Clark sped off to the center of the city and found one of his favorite spots to stand and think - the top of the Bank of Metropolis building. It was one of the tallest buildings in the city, and had no other tall skyscrapers in the immediate vicinity. He landed on the decorative structure adorning the roof of the building, a stylized version of a dollar sign. It made a good perch for him, and even someone standing on the roof wouldn't be able to see him. He stood there, his arms crossed and his cape fluttering in the wind behind him, staring at the horizon and the rising sun.

He thought about the what he had just witnessed, recognizing that a life full of miracles, like that one, couldn't be all that bad. He shook his head when he realized he had been wallowing last night, when he had no right to do so. He was blessed with the ability to make a significant difference in the world. It was an opportunity that few people were afforded, and he should be satisfied with that.

He thought once more of the happy family he had helped this morning and felt privileged that he had been able to lend a hand. Holding that new-born boy in his arms had been a true miracle. He had once thought that someday it would be his new-born baby that he would hold, but that wasn't going to come to pass.

It was the price he paid for choosing to play the superhero. He couldn't bring himself to endanger anyone by allowing them to get close to him. It was bad enough that he spent every day worrying what would happen to his parents if anybody found out that Clark Kent was playing superhero in his spare time. They would have no peace, not to mention the possibility of them becoming targets for anybody who wanted to take advantage of him.

Take advantage of him... The cool morning breeze caressed him, as that thought intruded his mind. Suddenly he was back in France, all those years ago, happy with a woman he thought he loved...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The south of France, three years ago
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clark was in a panic now. How much could he trust Lena with his secret, and how would she react to hearing it. Furthermore, he honestly didn't know where to begin. Stepping back from he, he looked into her eyes trying to gauge her emotions. She was looking at him intently, obviously expecting an immediate answer to her question.

"Let's get inside first, then we can swap the how's and why's. Are you sure you don’t want me to go after those guys first?"

“No, like I said they’re long gone anyway. Besides, I rather you stay with me right now.”

“All right then, let’s get off this roof.” He took her hand and started to lead her to the rooftop door. She watched him silently as they walked toward the door, which worried him more than anything else. He had always fantasized how he would tell someone... some woman, about his abilities. He had many practiced speeches, but none of his rehearsals included plucking a woman out of a mid air plunge.

Of course he wouldn’t have to explain anything to her if it had been anybody else he rescued. Usually he wouldn’t stop to talk to someone after the occasionally rescue he indulged in. But his concern for Lena had overwhelmed his common sense. Now he would have to face the consequences - telling her about himself. She would be too smart for him to lie to her at this point. So assuming he could get up the courage, Lena would be the first person with whom he shared his secret.

When they reached the door they fortunately found it unlocked, and were able to reenter the building without any trouble. They exited into the hallway of the top floor, and found the elevator, taking it to the eighth floor. Exiting on her floor, Clark led Lena back to her room. Stopping in front of the door, Clark peered over his glasses to examine the lock. It showed no signs of being forced or picked. He pushed his glasses back up and turned his head to speak to Lena. "They must have had a key, the lock doesn't have any signs of tampering."

Clark paused for a moment, seeing the expression on her face as she pulled the room key out of her pocket. She looked like she was trying to figure out everything about him and what he could do, giving Clark that "bug in the glass jar" feeling. But he quickly shook it off, and stepped aside to allow her to unlock to door.

After they entered the room and secured the door, Lena walked over to the wet bar and poured herself a drink. Clark noted that she looked remarkably calm for someone who had just been tossed out of a window. She turned to him and waved the whiskey bottle in his direction, silently asking him if he wanted some also. He shook his head in refusal, and turned his attention to the broken window. Staring at the window, he finally voiced his question to her. "So, are you going to tell me now what's going on, and why those men threw you out a window?"

He didn't have to look at her to know that she was already pouring herself a second glass. Clark turned to see her quickly down the glass of whiskey before answering. "In a moment. I think I need to sit down for a minute first and collect myself.” Pointing her finger at Clark with the hand she held the glass with, she added, "And don’t think you’re going to distract me from what you did."

Clark watched her pour yet another glass, then walk across the room to the couch. She sat down softly, and stared into the glass of whiskey she held in her hand. After staring at the glass for a minute, she set it down on the coffee table without drinking the liquid inside. She then looked directly into Clark's eyes, giving him the impression that she was weighing what she would tell him. Finally she took a deep breath, and said, "I guess I owe you an explanation after plucking me out of mid-air.” Then after a beat, “You really did do that, didn’t you?”

Clark just nodded, but didn’t say anything. Seeing that he wasn’t volunteering any more information, she continued. OK, obviously I have to go first, but you’re telling me everything right after that." She took a calming breath, then said, "Those men were trying to steal my... shipment without paying for it. One of them was that man from the cafe who negotiated to buy it from me. I guess he thought the price was too high." She shrugged as she said her last comment, without any humor in her voice at all.

Clark silently joined her on the couch and took one of her hands into his own. She just stared down at Clark's hand, and sighed heavily before continuing. Her voice was strangely detached as she spoke. "I never expected him to take such drastic measures."

"If he wanted your shipment, why did he try to kill you?"

She looked up into Clark eyes suddenly, as if surprised by the question. "Oh, well, he didn't do it on purpose. When I refused to tell him anything, he tried to hit me. I, of course, defended myself. I had the upper hand for the most part, until one of his goons tried to tackle me, and ended up knocking me through the window. I have to guess that they panicked and fled as soon as it happened."

Clark couldn't believe that 'matter-of-fact' tone she had when describing what happened to her. He was about to say something, when she interrupted him. "So you're going to tell me how you can fly."

Clark made note that she had made it a statement, not a question. After a moment’s hesitation he began to tell her everything about himself. Once he started, he found that he couldn’t stop himself. It surprised him when he realized how much of a burden it had been carrying this his whole life, without anybody to talk to about it except his parents. The novelty of being able to share this with someone opened up the floodgates within him.

He started at the beginning, with his parents finding him in the crashed spaceship, then his growing up as a normal Kansas farm boy. Normal, that is, until his powers started to manifest themselves at age ten. He described to her each power - when he first discovered it, how he had to learn to control each one, and the steps he took to hide his powers. She was wide-eyed as he described his strength and invulnerability, and she screamed when he demonstrated his abilities for her by lifting the couch, with her on it, high into the air with only one hand.

She only interrupted occasionally, asking for clarification on one point or another. She had many questions at the end, but Clark’s demonstrations and answers seem to satisfy her. Strangely, she seemed most interested in his invulnerability and asked for multiple demonstrations of his ability, one of which involved a very nasty looking knife she produced from somewhere.

When she was done with all her questions, he stood there in front her, not saying anything, seeing that she was still processing it all in her head. She then got up and asked Clark if she could have some time alone, perhaps 30 minutes or so, to think about everything. He of course understood, and made his way to the door to leave. Before he could go, she touched him on the arm and said, “Just so you know, I won’t ever forgot what you did for me tonight, or that I might be dead if not for you.”

He smiled, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving. He turned and left the room, hearing Lena close the door behind him.

He spent the next 30 minutes walking around the hotel, trying to see if he could find out who gave out a copy of Lena’s room key. Having no luck he went back up to her room. She opened the door immediately after he knocked, apparently waiting for him by the door. By the look on her face, she seemed to have decided something. Looking directly at Clark, she reached out for his hand, and pulled him over to the couch to sit down with her.

After they sat down, Lena just stared down at Clark's hand, which she was still holding, for a minute before looking up at him and saying, "You know, Clark, this was all a lot to take in. But it’s hard to dispute the facts when I see what you can do. When I was here, by myself for the last few minutes, I was thinking how lonely it must have been for you always to have to hide this from others. It must be very hard to go it all alone like this.”

“Sometimes it is.” Clark was happy to see that she could understand that about him.

Lena chuckled ironically, and then continued. “Believe me, I know how it is to go it alone. I always thought that I could take care of myself, and I've avoided any kind of long-term relationship. I enjoyed the feeling that I could do it all on my own. I went it alone because I thought that I would never meet anyone who could keep up with me. Or meet someone who would just like me the way I am. But tonight, I think I learned that I might have been wrong. Maybe I do need someone... someone like you."

She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. Her fingers slowly tracing a line over the muscles of his chest. The sensation of her touch felt like small electrical charges along his body. He put his arm around her, drawing her protectively close to him, and began to gently stroke her hair. He felt conflicted about what to do next. Just minutes ago she had, in effect, told him that they had no future together. Now she was telling him that she needed him. Of course, he himself knew what it was like avoiding long-term relationships. Maybe it was the time to take a chance with someone, even if in the end it didn't work out for them. He hated the thought of being alone for the rest of his life, so maybe it was time to change that.

His faced buried in her hair, he softly said, "I thought that you weren't my type of girl." He tried to put as light as a tone he could into the statement.

She turned her head to look at him - a small, but wicked smile on her lips. "Really, Kansas, you’re going to have to learn how to know what a woman really means when she says something. You should have put up more of a fight."

Completely bewildered, he exclaimed, "I should have put up... You told me that you didn't want to -"

"Oh, shut up, and kiss me, you idiot." Without waiting for any response, she kissed him hard and possessively on the lips. Clark had no choice but to respond. His mind saying, 'Hey, wait a minute', but his body telling his mind to pipe down and enjoy the ride.

Without breaking the kiss, she reached up with one arm and hooked it around his neck, forcing him deeper into the kiss. Softly chewing on his bottom lip, she moved her kisses down to his chin, and then his jaw-line. Finally done with her assault on his senses, she leaned back slightly, and gave him a smoldering look... one which may have incinerated mere morals.

"So, are you going to keep bringing up things I've said in the past?"

Clark shook his head slowly. "No ma'am, not me. Never happen again."

"Good." She smiled, and captured his lips once again. After exploring his mouth, her lips made their way down his chin, then to his throat, and ended up trailing down to his chest. As she made her way down, she undid the buttons of his shirt one at a time. When she reached the third button, she felt Clark's hand on her face, gently turning her to look at him.

"Lena, as much as I'm enjoying this, I don't think I'm ready to take this any further. I want to get to know you better first. I've been waiting all my life to give myself to the right woman. When I finally do, it will not just be an act of love, it will be a commitment. You understand, don't you?"

She stared at him in surprise, as if she couldn't quite believe what he had told her. Releasing her hold on him, she sat up, never taking her eyes off him. Suddenly she got up, collecting the untouched glass of whiskey from the coffee table, and walked over to the wet bar. She contemplated the glass for a few seconds before pouring the contents down the sink.

"You've waited all this time for the right woman." Her statement was spoken so softly, that Clark didn't think that he would have heard it without his special abilities. As he thought about what to say next to her, she whirled around, a warm smile on her face. He was taken aback by the sudden change in her demeanor, but he waited patiently for what she was going to say next.

"Clark, that's so sweet. If I heard that from anybody else, I would think that was some kind of line. But somehow I know from you that you really mean it. And I do want you to know me better, even though that will be a new experience for me. I just hope you can be patient with me."

Clark grinned warmly at her as he said, "I'm in no hurry, and I do want to get to know you, the real you, better." After a beat he continued, "You know, I have to say, you are really taking the fact that I may be an alien from another planet very calmly. I thought you be more... I don't know... more anxious than this. I mean it is a pretty incredible story when you think about it."

"Well, you're a pretty incredible guy, Clark. Besides, considering what you can do, being a visitor from another planet is as good as an explanation as any other. There could be other explanations, like you’re a failed government experiment. But frankly, with my connections, I would have heard about something like that.”

Now Clark was curious. “Connections?”

Lena shrugged. “I deal with government types all the time. If some government produced someone like you, the word would have been out on the street long ago. Plus the fact that I’m fairly familiar with the state-of-the-art in mechanical and biological technology. There is no organization out there that has the capability of producing something... someone like you. And I think ‘Angel’ is out of the question too. Therefore, being a extraterrestrial is the most plausible answer.”

"Oh.” Then after a moment’s thought he asked, “So it doesn't bother you that I may not be from Earth?"

"Not unless you're hiding some weird appendage underneath those clothes of yours, or you plan to kidnap me for some kind of alien experimentation. Plus the fact you feel pretty human to me, so who cares where you're from?"

Clark was positively giddy inside. All his scenarios about telling someone the first time about his origins and abilities always ended badly. But Lena took it all in stride, and it didn't seem to bother her at all. He got up from the couch and crossed the living room to where she was standing. Without hesitating, he took her up into his arms and gave her another kiss. This time he tried to put his emotions, rather than his passions, into it.

As he was kissing her, he had the vague impression that something wasn't right. But what could be wrong? He was kissing a beautiful, exciting woman and she accepted him at face value. All should be right in the world. He pushed those thoughts aside, and focused on showing Lena how he felt with his kiss. As their lips finally parted, he saw that her eyes were closed, heard what could only be described as purring coming from Lena.

"You know, Kansas, you're making this wait thing very hard on a girl."

"Sorry, didn't mean to."

She opened her eyes, and sighed heavily. "Men. Space men." She shook her head in amusement, then patted Clark on the chest before moving back to the couch. She sat down heavily, and sighed one more time. Clark had heard the term 'smoldering eyes' before, but always thought it was a exaggeration from cheap detective novels. But the look in Lena's eyes right now could start a forest fire, and he could feel his resolution faltering already. He started quickly thinking how to say goodnight gracefully (while he still had some self control left), when Lena spoke first.

"Unless you want me to attack you before the night is over, I think it's time to say goodnight, Mr. Kent."

Clark actually contemplated allowing her to attack him, before he shaking himself mentally and replying, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Then, remembering something, he asked, "By the way, when are you going to call the police?"

"I'm not."

"What! Why not? That man tried to kill you."

"Believe me I know, but the police are useless around here, and I don't have any proof or witnesses. I'd just end up making more trouble for myself. No, I think I leave the locals out of this for now."

Clark wasn't exactly happy with her reasoning but it was her choice. Still, maybe he could do something.

"Would you like me to stay out here tonight? I can go without sleep for four or five days at a time, so it wouldn't be any problem. I'll just grab a book and read and you can get some sleep."

Lena seem to find this amusing, chuckling and shaking her head. "My own personal knight. No Clark, I'll be fine. They probably think I'm dead or in the hospital anyway. You go home and rest. Come by at eight and pick me up for breakfast. Now go. Shoo." She waved her hand in a shooing motion at him. Seeing him rooted to the spot, she got up and took him by the hand, leading him to the door.

As they got to the door, she reached up and stroked his face gently, once. "It is very nice offer, Clark, but I've still got some things to think about, so it would be better if I was on my own tonight. Besides, even if you were a complete gentleman and stayed out here all evening, you would still be a major distraction." She brought her hand around the back of his neck, and drew him into a short sweet kiss.

He smiled at her, and said, "I understand. I'll see you here at eight then." He reached down and opened the door, giving Lena one more warm smile before leaving and walking down the hall. As he approached the elevator, a look over his shoulder confirmed that she was watching him walk away. She looked beautiful, standing there in the doorway. He employed his enhanced vision to bring her face closer into view. When he zoomed in, he saw her face was full of intense scrutiny. It caught him by surprise, but he knew that she had a lot of information to digest about him. So it shouldn't worry him. Yet he felt that tickle in the back of his mind again that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was.

The sound of the elevator doors opening broke him out of his thoughts. He entered the elevator, still perplexed at his feelings.

Later that night, he was sitting up in bed, his hearing tuned to alert him to the sound of any trouble coming from direction of Lena's hotel. He would forgo sleep, if only for his own peace of mind, to keep an ear out for her. His mind was full of pleasant memories of Lena, what they had shared this evening. Maybe what was bothering him was the fact that they wouldn't have gotten this close if someone hadn't tried to kill her tonight. Yes, that must be it exactly. He picked up his book, and started to read again, a happy smile on his face

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Metropolis, the present
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An explosion brought Clark back to the present. Zeroing in quickly on the source, he saw that something had exploded at the refinery by the docks. He took swiftly to the sky, heading straight towards the source . Arriving at the blast site, he saw a building quickly being consumed by fire. Expanding his senses, he detected five men trapped inside the building. Assessing the best way to get them out, he crashed through the strongest wall of the building that was closest to the men. As he passed through the building on his way to them, he cooled as much of the fire as possible with his breath.

When he got to them, he saw that they had had the good sense to stay down low and had managed to get some wet rags around their mouths. Not stopping to explain the situation to them, he scooped up the first two and flew them out through the hole he had created. He then made two more round trips to rescue the others. By the time he deposited the last man outside the building, he could hear the sounds of approaching emergency vehicles.

Seeing that the men were reasonably safe for now, he turned his attention to the fire itself. He had taken it upon himself to teach himself everything he could about how to put out large fires, so he was he was able to use his powers to the greatest advantage to quickly put out fires like this. He started at the hottest spots first, alternating between extinguishing the flames directly, and taking fuel out of the path of the fire. By the time he heard the spray of the fire hoses on the building, he had 65% of the blaze stopped or contained.

Seeing where the fire department was concentrating their sprays, he adjusted his assault on the fire to compliment what the firemen were doing. Soon the fire was completely extinguished, and Clark moved away from the building to check on the men he had rescued.

He landed in the midst of the paramedics, once again receiving the looks of awe he had grown accustomed to over the last year. He spoke briefly with the paramedic in charge confirmed that all five men were fine, with minor cases of smoke inhalation. As soon as he had finished with the paramedics, the fire chief walked up to Clark and extended his hand to shake it. "I was wondering how we got that fire out so quickly. Thanks for your help. Not to mention those men would probably be dead if not for you."

Clark took the chief's hand and shook it, acknowledging his gratitude with a quick, "It was nothing, Chief. Anytime I can help."

Clark turned, and was about to launch himself into the air when a voice from behind shouted, "STOP!"

He looked behind him to see a woman in a rain parka, running up to him at a full sprint. Curious he turned to face her, crossing his arms, and assuming his best superhero pose. The woman reached him, almost completely out of breath, and bent over at the waist with her hands on her knees breathing hard.

"Don't you <huff huff> dare <huff huff> move <huff huff >." She punctuated her command by pointing an accusing finger at him between each gasping breath. Clark was just curious enough to wait and see what this woman wanted. After three more minutes of trying to get her breath back, she straightened up, and fixed her hair with her hands, trying to recover some modicum of dignity. Clark had to fight to suppress a smile watching her.

"O.K., buddy, I've been chasing you for three months now, and you're not going to get away this time. You're going to..."

"Is there some problem I can help you with, Miss?"

"That's *MS.* to you, and yes you can help me with something. You can answer a few questions."

Clark scowled in a combination of curiosity and confusion. "And why do I need to answer these... questions?" Clark was now genuinely interested at what this woman was after. Was there some problem she needed to be solved, or had he caused some problem that made her want to track him down so tenaciously? He always worried about doing something with his powers that would cause more harm than good. Now that he thought about it for a minute, she did seem familiar, but he couldn't immediately place her.

"Because the public has a right to know," she stated firmly.

Comprehension immediately dawned on him. "Ah, you're a reporter. TV, radio, or print?"

"Pa-lease, I not some TV hack. Lois Lane, Daily Planet." She stuck out her right hand toward Clark.

'Wow, she's all business,' Clark thought to himself. 'Sounds like she's a real fireball too... she must be hell on wheels at the Planet.' He took the proffered hand and shook it, acknowledging her introduction with a nod and a, "Miss Lane."

"*Ms. Lane.*"

"Oh, yes, sorry. Ms. Lane."

She reached into her purse and took out a steno pad and a pencil and started to jot down some notes. Without looking up, she started to rapid fire her questions at him.

"O.K., so, first where did you come from, and why are you here? How exactly is it you have these super-human abilities, and are there others like you? And no one seems to know what to call you. Do you have a name?"

"Ms. Lane -"

"Why do you play superhero for us? Do you have a goal? A purpose?"

"Ms. Lane -"

"Just what does that 'S' on the costume stand for? Some people believe you're from another planet, is that true?"

"MS. LANE!"

"And where do you go when you're not rescuing someone or catching bad guys? Do you have a secret lair?"

"LOIS!"

She looked up in shock and froze, the next question still on her lips. She then smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry, guess I'm kind of anxious. Maybe we should take this one question at a time."

"No."

"No, what?"

"No, we're not going to take anything. I don't do interviews. Sorry."

"What do you mean, you don't do interviews! The whole world wants to know who you really are, and you say you don't do interviews. That's not fair."

"It's not fair?" Clark repeated back to her. He didn't know quite what to say. The reactions he usually got out of people ranged from appreciation to awe or to the contempt he got from the criminal element. This was the first time he had been scolded while in the suit (not counting his mom of course).

"Listen, people are starting to put an awful lot in trust in you, but no one really knows who you are. Many people don't know what to think of you, and they're worried because they don't know your motivations, or even what to call you. Like it or not, what you do and how you do it, has made you a public figure... one who implicitly asks for the public's trust. Trust that you have often earned, from what I can see, but a trust that many hesitate to give you because you remain so mysterious. So, yes, it's not fair."

Clark had to admire her reasoning, and the certainty with which she delivered it. Truthfully, the same thoughts had crossed his mind just that morning. Maybe an interview would be in order, though he wasn't prepared to give all the answers right this second.

"You may have a point, Ms. Lane, but I don't have time right now for an interview. Maybe sometime very soon I can answer a few of your questions." He gave her a pleasant smile, and hoped that would placate her for the time being. He was struck again by the thought that he had met her somewhere before. There was something about her... Oh well, it would come to him sometime.

"Time for me to go, Ms. Lane." Clark prepared to take flight, but was stopped once again by the tenacious reporter.

"Wait! Can't you tell me anything? Who are you?"

"I'm... a friend. Someone who has been granted these abilities, and wants to use them to help, any way that I can. Maybe the next time I see you, I'll have time for that interview." He started to rise into the air at the end of his last statement.

Watching him rise into the air, she shouted at him, "How will I find you?"

"I'll be around. I'll find you when I have the time." He then turned and soared straight up into the air. Clark finally allowed himself a smile as he broke through the clouds. 'Boy, she was a real spitfire,' he thought to himself. Interesting... she wasn't what he had expected. Once she introduced herself, he recognized her name from some of her articles in the Daily Planet. He had been very impressed with her recent expose of the car theft ring, but he hadn't expected someone so young. And even though her rain slicker, and despite her demeanor, he could tell that she was a very nice-looking woman. Not someone you would expect to spend two months infiltrating a ring of car thieves undercover.

But what really got him, was the fact that she was strangely attractive to him, but he couldn't say why. Beyond the fact of her obvious beauty, he'd actually found himself enjoying her little impromptu interview. It was refreshing to be treated as a... human being, while in the suit. Lois Lane must be an interesting person to know.

Suddenly he stopped short in mid-air, and began to scold himself. 'Wait a minute, Kent. You do not need to get captivated by another strong-willed brunette. That's how you got in trouble the last time. The last thing you need is to be attracted to anybody.' He shook his head in disgust. There was no way he was going to repeat history. No way at all...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
South of France, three years previous
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They met the next morning, as promised. Clark brought some pastries and coffee, so they could talk privately in her room. He noted that the hotel had put a temporary cover on the window that had been broken. Lena told him that she had told the hotel that she broke it when she lost her balance carrying a heavy antique bust, which of course had shattered on the street below.

After setting up the table for breakfast, they sat down for a leisurely meal and conversation. Clark gave Lena more details of his growing up and travels since he left college. It felt strange talking about himself and including the parts about the development and use of his abilities.

He shared with her the joy he felt when flying, and the satisfaction when he could help or save someone's life.

"So you were the 'Angel of Tyrol' last year?" Lena asked him after he'd finished his last story.

"Yeah, that was me. Luckily I was in the area doing a story in the area, when the bus skidded off the side of the mountain. When I heard what happened, I knew that the rescue teams would never find the bus in time. An hour of searching from the air with my X-Ray vision, I was able to locate it. After that, it was easy enough to lift the bus out of the snow, and deposit it by the rescue teams. Of course I stayed out of sight the whole time, but someone must have seen my shadow under the bus."

"Amazing. Do you realize what you could do with these powers? Even something simple like competing in tennis or golf. You could set yourself up for life."

"Maybe, but that would be cheating to me. I feel I need to do something... greater with these gifts rather than try to make money for myself."

Lena looked like she was about to say something, but then changed her mind and smiled sweetly at Clark. "Of course. I think that's very admirable of you. A lesser man would have taken every advantage he could with your powers. I think the way you have handled your abilities is very special."

Clark shrugged at the comment. "It's really not that big a deal. I haven't done anything different than most people would in my position."

Lena once again had one of those unreadable expressions, looked down at the coffee cup in her hand. She spoke without looking back up at Clark. "I think your you're wrong about that." Looking up at him, she once more smiled at him. "I think you're special."

"Thanks, Lena, I think you're special too." He leaned over and gave her a short kiss. After their lips parted, Clark could see her smiling with that just right combination of sweetness and seduction. He swore she practiced that look just to drive him crazy.

After breakfast, they spent the rest of the day doing everything... and nothing. Just getting to know each other was their main purpose. Finding out their likes and dislikes, their commonalities and differences. They spent the next three weeks doing little else.

Clark's check eventually cleared, so he could afford to stay in France with Lena. She decided to move into a rental cottage, since she needed time to redo her business deal with a new client. Every morning he would show up at her door with breakfast, sometimes even something from his mom back in Kansas. Then they would spend the rest of the day together. A few times he took Lena flying, and a few times they ended up in places like Italy or China for dinner.

They seemed to be apart were when Lena announced that she had to conduct some business at the cottage, and she would chase Clark away so she could get her work done.

The issue of intimacy never came up again, and by silent agreement neither one of them crossed over that line just yet. Clark had even fallen asleep with Lena on the couch three or four times, but nothing beyond that ever happened. It was at the beginning of their fourth week together that Lena announced that she was once again making a deal for her shipment, and she wanted Clark along for company.

He was excited to go along, knowing that Lena usually like to work alone. The transaction was suppose to take place in the warehouse that stored her mysterious shipment. She asked him to wear a sport coat, so he would look professional while accompanying her. Lena never told him what the shipment was comprised of and he hadn't really given it much thought, being more focused on getting to know her. He was really getting the feeling that she might be 'the one', despite the occasional hesitation he felt with her. It must be nerves, he’d concluded long ago.

After breakfast, Lena dressed in a professional-looking suit for her meeting. They took a cab to the warehouse district, and were dropped off in front of a nondescript white building. Lena pulled out a key and inserted it into the lock on the front door. As they entered the small warehouse, the smell of dust, metal, and oil assailed his nose. Lena turned on the lights overhead, to reveal a set of ten long boxes, each about the size of a rectangular coffin, lying in the center of the room. A single card table with two chairs was set up next to the stack of boxes. Clark was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. This didn't strike him as a usual type of business deal, though he didn't have any real experience with the buying and selling of wholesale merchandise.

She settled in one of the chairs then looked up at Clark. "Clark, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to stand behind me during the negotiations and look as intimidating as possible. These guys usually think they can take advantage of a woman, and will try to coerce me into taking a deal I don't want. Not that they can of course, but it slows down the negotiation process. So how would you like to be my tough looking partner?"

"Sure, I can do that." He beamed at her, a big smile on his face.

"Yeah, right. Well lose that smile, you wouldn't intimidate a butterfly looking like that."

"Right." He then tried to be his sternest, with a big scowling look.

She gave him a short chuckle. "Here, take off your glasses and put these on." She handed him a pair of stylish Italian sunglasses. "I assume you can see clearly in here, even with these on. And you may want to work on that scowl a little bit."

"Sure." He pocketed his glasses and put on the sunglasses. He then folded his arms and set a grim look on his face.

"Hmm. Not bad Kansas. Just let me do all the talking."

They waited there for a few minutes in silence. The door then opened, and three men walked into the room. The first one through was dressed in an expensive business suit, and the two men who followed him in were wearing casual, all black suits. The two men in black didn't take off their sunglasses as they entered the room, making Clark wonder how they could possibly see in the dim warehouse without enhanced vision abilities. One of the men in black was carrying a metal briefcase.

As they got to the table, Lena extended her hand, inviting the businessman to sit opposite her. He opened his coat, and sat down silently, looking at Clark for a moment, then back at Lena. "I thought you worked alone."

"This is my new partner, Mr. K." Clark said nothing, but nodded at the three men. "Mr. K. is here to ensure that our business will go smoothly. He hates when things don't go smoothly. Isn't that right, Mr. K?"

Remembering that he was supposed to say nothing, Clark merely nodded his head once in agreement. This was almost getting to be a little fun. He was starting to feel like a character out of a James Bond movie.

"I see. Very well Miss Manchester, let's get down to business. 250 working articles for $250,000, is that correct?"

"Very correct."

Clark was confused listening to the exchange. Who was Miss Manchester, and just what was Lena selling? Clark looked over the top of his glasses at the boxes to see what was inside them. He peered through the wood casing and saw rows of what looked like large hand-held weaponry. Just what was Lena involved in? Investigating further he saw U.S Army markings stamped on the side of the weapons. He knew what these were - they were hand held rocket launchers, the kind that could pierce the armor of a tank.

How stupid could he have been? He'd never questioned her on any of this, and just went along for the ride. Now he was helping her sell stolen U.S. arms to heaven knows who. There was no way he was going to let these guys cart these weapons away and sell them to the highest bidder. Not after he spent the last few months tracking down another arms dealer. Obviously he was here to be her 'muscle' and insure her safety when dealing with these dangerous men. He was furious... angry at Lena, or whoever she was, for using him, and angry at himself for being so blind.

He focused back at the table and saw the businessman snap his fingers. The man with the briefcase placed it on the table and opened it, revealing a large number of twenty dollar bills bundled inside. The other man went over to the first box and pulled out a knife, which he used to pry open the top. He pulled a penlight from his jacket, and peered inside. After a minute's examination, he replaced the top, and nodded to his boss.

Before the businessman could do or say anything further, Lena reached into her jacket and pulled out a nickel- plated automatic pistol. She placed it nonchalantly on her lap, with the barrel pointed in the direction of the businessman. The other two men reached into their pockets and pulled out their own weapons. Clark was about to leap in Lena's defense, when she coolly said, "Gentlemen, calm down. I just wanted to emphasize that I will tolerate no monkey business on this deal. The last man who dealt for this shipment tried to steal from me. I want a clean deal this time, and I will not be taken advantage of. Are we clear on this point?"

The businessman smiled and waved his hand in silent command for his men to return their weapons to their holsters. "Don't worry Miss Manchester, I am, if anything, a professional. I have a reputation that I will not tarnish with idiot-like behavior." Then after a beat he said, "By the way, your Mr. K. is a very cool character. I didn't even see him flinch."

Lena smiled again. "Mr. K. doesn't 'flinch' unless he absolutely has to, and then when he does, it would be over before you could voice your regrets." In truth, Clark had not 'flinched' because he had frozen in his place, unsure of what to do. Good thing he had been wearing sunglasses.

"I see. Then we have a deal. My truck is outside waiting to be loaded."

She reached over and closed the briefcase, then handed it to Clark, who took it, not knowing what else to do. She reached into her outside coat pocket and removed a small remote control. Pointing it in the direction of the door, she pressed the button, and the large loading door began to roll back, giving access for her client's truck. When the door was sufficiently opened, a panel truck backed into the warehouse, and parked by the crates. Two more men got out of the truck and started loading them into the back, with the two body guards pitching in and to help. During the whole process, Lena never took her eyes off the businessman, and her hand never left the weapon in her lap.

After the truck was loaded, it pulled out of the warehouse. Clark memorized the look of the truck, the unique sound of its engine, and its license plate, so he could catch up with it and stop it after the men left.

The man got up and said, "It was a pleasure, Miss Manchester. I hope we can do business again sometime."

"I hope we can." Without any more pleasantries, he turned and left with his body guards. Clark looked through the warehouse wall, to see the model and license of the car they were driving. After they pulled away, he turned on Lena, pulling off the sunglasses and throwing them on the table.

"I can't believe you used me like that!"

"Like what, Clark?"

"You know perfectly well. Why didn't you tell me what you were involved in?"

"Because I needed you, and I knew that you wouldn't understand at first. I thought maybe you could -"

"I could what? Turn into a criminal for you? Sell stolen arms with you? To men who have no morals, and don't care who gets hurt along the way. Is that what you thought I could do?"

"Come on, Clark, don't be so naive. I didn't hurt anyone, I just sold some merchandise."

"Tell that to the people your 'merchandise' will kill someday."

She shrugged. "People are going to kill each other no matter what. Anything I do or don't do won't affect that."

Clark was speechless. He couldn't believe it. "Who are you?"

"Monique Manchester, dealer extraordinaire of questionable merchandise. Two months ago it was a hundred cases of vintage wine. This month is a load of rocket launchers. All the same to me." She punctuated her last statement with an airy wave of her hand.

"So it was all a lie. You... Me... You just wanted to use me and my abilities."

"It wasn't all a lie, Clark. I do like you, and I think we could be great partners together. Of course I still think we'll be great in bed together." She got up and moved next to him, placing her hand on his chest.

He pushed her away immediately. "You're insane if you think I would become your partner after this... for anything."

She shrugged. "It was worth a shot, though I may ask you to do a favor for me from time to time."

"Why would I do you any favors for you now?"

"Well you obviously don't want the world to know about you. So an occasional favor for my silence seems like a fair trade."

Clark walked right up to her and loomed over her, his fury barely contained. "You don't really know me at all, do you? Excuse me, I have a shipment of death to stop." He then whooshed out of the warehouse at super speed, taking to the sky as he left the building. In the air, he focused on the unique sound of the truck's engine and quickly found it, heading for the docks. They were on a rarely used route, which would be to his advantage. The businessman's car was leading the truck, and he could see nobody behind the truck for miles.

Focusing on one of the rear tires, he shot a pencil-thin beam of heat vision on it, causing a blow-out. The truck immediately slowed down and pulled over to a stop. The car in front of it took a few seconds to react, but it too pulled over. The driver and his companion got out and examined the flat, cursing at it. While they were both still looking at the tire, Clark swooped down, out of sight of the car, and lightly tapped both men in the base of the neck, knocking them unconscious.

As Clark set them gently down on the ground, he could hear a voice coming from a walkie-talkie in the pocket of the driver. The voice called for the driver several times before giving up. He then heard the door of the car opening and one of the bodyguards approaching. Clark hid around the corner of the truck, and waited for the bodyguard to appear. As the bodyguard got to the side of the truck, Clark sped behind him at super speed, and incapacitated him also. In the background, he could hear the other two men, getting out of the car. He employed his super speed to incapacitate them in the same way.

He was then able to find some rope in the back of the truck and tie them all up for the authorities. A quick search of the businessman yielded a cell phone, from which Clark called both the local police and the U.S. embassy. Just for good measure, he made a call to his contact in the French police, and told him about the location of the warehouse where the arms had been stored.

Ensuring that any place he touch was wiped of his fingerprints, he sat down on the ground and waited for the authorities to arrive. Forty minutes later, he picked up the sound of distant sirens. Looking down the road, he saw a variety of official-looking vehicles headed his way, including one with U.S. Government markings on it. Satisfied that the weapons would be retrieved by the authorities, he took to the air, and headed back to the warehouse. He didn't really expect her to be there, but he had to look anyway. He needed to settle some things with the woman he had known as Lena.

*********
to be continued

Comments, suggestions, or rotten tomatoes would all be appreciated.


-- Taivas